I’ve also created a really helpful checklist for you to download and print off. It’ll cover all the vital steps you need to take before you’re ready to launch your blog.

Decide on a Name

Understanding what you need to create a blog is the first step you need to take. First up, you’ll need a domain name (unless you choose Bluehost as your hosting company).

I actually find this one of the most difficult parts. It’s not all that different from naming my kids, ha! Mostly because I invest a lot of time and effort into my blogs and I don’t want to tire of the name.

Honestly, try not to overthink it too much.

Draw a mindmap.

Write out the main points that you want your blog to focus on.

Describe the audience you’re looking to appeal to.

Start jotting down names that come to you.

As a rule, you want them to be easy to spell and remember.

The second thing to keep in mind is whether or not the domain is available. So, once you’ve written a list of name possibilities, head to a domain registry and start entering them in to see if they’re available.

Name.com is a great place to start. They may seem more costly compared to the likes of GoDaddy, but if you actually compare prices after the first year, they are very reasonable.

Be wary of very cheap domain registrations and make sure you know what they’re going to charge you after the first year.

Take note of the price they’ve crossed out and not just the one they’ve highlighted. The likelihood is that they’re going to charge you whatever that crossed-out price is after your first year is over.

Another thing to be aware of is whether or not another company is conducting business under that name or a very similar one.

Make sure to do a Google search and look through social media just to cover your bases.

Once you’ve decided upon your blog name and bought the domain, you can then decide which hosting company you’re going to choose.

So let me start out by explaining the difference between a hosted blog and a self-hosted blog.

Self-hosted vs Hosted:

When it comes to knowing how to start a blog, it is so important to understand the difference between these two things.

Hosted blogs are free. That is obviously a great perk for a lot of people.

You sign up, pick a template and you’re good to go.

What is the issue with that?

Well, you’re limited in regards to how much you can customise your blog.

Your domain name is going to have .wix or .blogspot after its name.

In general, your site is less likely to stand out amongst the crowd.

But what exactly is the difference between hosted and self-hosted?

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Hosted:

Free

Quick to set up

Limited options for customisation

You don’t own your blog (you could lose everything if they decide to take it down)

.wix etc following your blog name

Limited ways to monetize (i.e they’ll run ads on your site but you won’t get the revenue from them)

Self-Hosted:

Can grow with you

Customisable

You own your blog

You can choose your hosting company

No .wix etc following your blog name

Vast options for monetization

How to Start a Blog: Hosting Companies

If you’ve decided to go WordPress then you’re going to need a host.

What is a host?

It basically stores all of your website information and makes it available to everyone that wishes to view it.

Different websites require different types of hosting based on the size and traffic that they receive. That is why web hosts offer different plans.

So, which should you choose and how much do they cost?

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As a beginner blogger, there are two web host companies that are great to start with.

If you’re just starting out and have a limited budget, then their basic starter plancould be perfect at just $2.95 per month. Otherwise, if you want the room to grow, then you could go with either their plus planorchoice plus. All very reasonable in price.

A platform is a group of technologies that are used as a base upon which other applications, processes or technologies are developed.

The platform is where you will edit and customise your blog. It is where you will write and publish your content. In essence, it is your work station.

So, which one should you choose?

WordPress is the platform of choice for most serious bloggers and it is the only one I would strongly recommend. It is straightforward to use and has seemingly endless options for customisation and growth.

Even if you do struggle with the interface to begin with, because it is such a popular platform, there is no shortage of tutorials that you can find online.

There are other website platforms out there, but I can’t recommend any of them more than WordPress. And I mean WordPress.org not WordPress.com. What’s the difference?

WordPress.org is self-hosted, WordPress.com is not.

You’ve bought your domain, signed up for hosting, so now it is time to download and install WordPress. Just visit this link to start that process.

How to Start a Blog: Choosing a Theme

Once you’ve installed WordPress, the next thing to do is choose a theme.

There are free themes available, but if you want to get something that better suits your style or a specific layout, then you’re better off purchasing one.

Where should you go to look for one?

I’ve had themes from a couple of different places. The most recent one I purchased from Etsy.

It is also where you can focus your short-term efforts in regards to building your traffic and getting some traction.

When it comes to blog traffic, you never want to have all your eggs in one basket. It is important to diversify.

However, to begin with, Pinterest is one of the easiest platforms from which to get results.

How to Start a Blog: Set up an Email List

One of the things I’ve seen stated by many, many successful bloggers is that they wished that they had started their email list sooner.

Truth is, you can begin to build your email list even before you’ve launched your site.

Why is having an email list so important?

Well, it gives you a direct link to your audience. It isn’t like social media platforms where there are distractions everywhere. Instead, you can really focus your content and direct it towards your loyal followers.

If your blog were to suddenly be unavailable, you at least can still access your audience via your email list.

There are so many reasons that having an email list is a huge asset, but really, that’s a subject that deserves its own dedicated post.

You might be wondering how and where to set up an email list.

I have used three different email providers throughout my time blogging.

For beginner bloggers I would recommend the following:

MailChimp

It is a very simple service for beginners to start out with.

It is also free for your first 1000 subscribers.

If you’d like to access their full features, then you can sign up to one of their plans which start at a very reasonable price.

You can:

Create standout email campaigns

Automate emails

Optimize for your audience using segmentation, testing, reports, and personalisation.

The only con I have for MailChimp is that I did find it a bit complicated to really customise their forms to suit the branding on my site. But, if you’re after a free email service to get you started, then MailChimp will do fine.

You want 3-5 posts written that define what your blog is about. They are known as your pillar posts or content.

That will give you something to promote and share with people when you launch your blog.

I would say that having 5-10 posts on your blog before you launch is ideal, but definitely 3-5 of those need to be very niche specific.

After that, you can decide how often you’ll post new content. Your schedule will be unique to you. How often you post will depend on how much time you have and the kind of content that you’re producing.

My recommendation is to start slow. Perhaps once a week or once every two weeks.

Take the time to create really solid, quality content and then share it via Pinterest, Facebook, etc.

If you feel as though you can pump out more quality content then do it, but don’t rush the process. Quality is going to trump quantity.

The main thing is that you stay consistent. Posting 5 times in one week and then not at all for a month is not going to be beneficial.

Whatever you do, do it consistently and over time you will be rewarded.

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3 thoughts on “How to Start a Blog and Be Successful in 2019”

I Have a blog thegaddisgazette.blogspot.com that I’ve had for a few years just documenting family stuff here and there. However, last year I had a child who was born with Down syndrome, I would love to try to really grow my blog and focus on family/parenting with a focus on Down syndrome. This is exactly what I went looking for when I found out about my son. My question is, I don’t want to lose all my previous posts, can I take them with me to wordpress from blogger? Should I do this? I don’t need all of them, but certain ones I want to keep.

Hey, I’m Christine! Owner and creator of Raising Kids Making Money. I started my parenting blog Christine Keys back in February ’17. It quickly became both my creative outlet and an online income stream. Now I want to be able to teach other moms how to do the same!